Puerto Rico eliminates USA in WBC as rally falls short

Mar. 15, 2013
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Puerto Rico starting pitcher Nelson Figueroa laughs with third baseman Angel Gonzalez in the fifth inning during the World Baseball Classic against United States at Marlins Park. / Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

The Game: A bases-loaded walk and Andy Gonzalez's two-RBI double fueled a three-run sixth inning, and Puerto Rico held on for a 4-3 victory that eliminated Team USA from the World Baseball Classic.

Puerto Rico sweated out the final innings, as the U.S. scored once in the seventh and twice in the eighth, but still earned the last semifinal berth in San Francisco.

Ryan Braun's RBI double and Ben Zobrist's bases-loaded walk narrowed what was once a 4-0 gap to 4-3 in the eighth, but J.C. Romero stranded three runners when he got Eric Hosmer to ground out, closing out the inning.

What it means: Puerto Rico advances to the semifinals for the first time in three tries and gains a measure of payback after getting kept from the 2009 semis by a heartbreaking loss to the U.S. For Team USA, regarded as the tournament favorite, this is yet another disappointing outcome in the WBC, where it now has a cumulative record of 10-10 and has never reached the final.

The Scene: The late-arriving crowd of 19,762 grew bigger and louder as the game went on, though the buzz was nowhere comparable to the din during the previous night's Dominican Republic-U.S. game. The large majority of fans were clearly on Puerto Rico's side, and they certainly got into it during the three-run rally.

Fun Fact: U.S. pitching coach Greg Maddux gained more than 13,000 followers in the first day after opening a Twitter account â?? @31gregmaddux.

What's next: Puerto Rico takes on the Dominican Republic on Saturday in a matchup of Caribbean rivals to decide seeding for the semis. Team USA gets to watch it for free.